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Heading into the 2022 season, there’s arguably no Bears player under more scrutiny than safety Eddie Jackson.
New Bears head coach Matt Eberflus made it clear that Jackson has a “fresh slate” as the new coaching staff steps in. And so far, it sounds like Jackson is off to a solid start.
“He’s gotten off to a good start,” safeties coach Andre Curtis said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “He’s working hard through OTAs and getting better. He’s asking the right questions, he’s being a leader in the room. I like all the stuff I’ve seen from him so far.”
Jackson, a former fourth-round pick, made an immediate impression in his first two seasons, where he totaled eight interceptions, three forced fumbles, and scored five defensive touchdowns from 2017-18.
He signed a lucrative contract extension in 2019, but hasn’t recorded an interception in the last two seasons. Jackson has been subject to criticism over the last couple of years due to his tackling and effort. But he knows what he needs to work on.
“Eddie’s a pretty savvy veteran guy,” said Curtis. “He realizes the stuff he needs to work on. He brought several things to me as far as fundamentals-wise and stuff that we need to improve upon.
“We’ll try to obviously work in that direction and try to maximize his potential and try to put him in a good opportunity to help our defense.”
The Bears improved their secondary this offseason with the addition of rookies Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker. Jackson should benefit from the upgrade at safety with Brisker, where the hope is Jackson will show shades of his former playmaking self.